Feed-water heater



Qct.29,1l929. P. DUGELAY 1,733,990

FEED WATER HEATER Filed Nov. 12, 1927 PAUL DUGELAY.

I ENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Get. 29, 1929 PAUL DUGELAY, or rears, FRANCE, ASSIG'NOB TO wonrnrne'ron PUMP nn MA- CI-IINERY CORPORATION, or NEW YORK, N. Y., A oonroaATIoN on VIRGINIA I FEED-WATER. HEATER Application filed November 12, 1927, Seria1 No.' 232,763, and in 'FranceDe'ceniber-H, 1926,

This invention relates to feed water heaters and more particularly to feed-water heaters of, the open type wherein a heating or condensing chamber is provided into which the water to be heated is sprayed and contacts with incoming steam, preferably the exhaust steam from an engine. r

In some heaters of this type,flat certain times, the water in the heating or condensing chamber may accidentally rise above 'the normal level and fiowinto the inlet pipe for the steam, thereby seriously impairing the operation of the device, and to overcon' e such impairment of operationthe present invention has been devised-whereby the flow of water through the inlet pipe will be automatically cut ofi', at predetermined times, and any water flowing into the steam inlet pipe will be allowed to drain therefrom, from a point in close proximity to the heater.

More specifically the invention comprehends a valve located in the exhaust steam pipe to the. heater, which valve is operated by a piston controlled by the flow of steam to the engine from which the exhaust steam flows to the heater, whereby when the flow of operating steam to the engine'is cut oh, the valve will be closed, damming the exhaust steam inlet pipe to the heater and a vent or drain will be opened to allow water which might enter the exhaust steam pipe from the heater to drain therefrom. When steam is admitted to the engine, the valve will be opened and the drain closed thereby allowing the exhaust steam to flow unimpeded to the heater.

With these objects in view, the. invention consists in various features of construction and combination of parts, which will be first described in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing a feed water heater of the preferred form embodying the invention, and the features forming the invention will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a locomotive showing a feed water heater embodying the present invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a section threiigh the steam pipe to the heater and the mechanism for controlling the 'flow of steam therethrough and the draining of the pipe. 1

Referring more particularlytothe drawings, an open feed water heater 1 of any ap- I proved type is shown-mounted on the locomotive 2 and the exhaust steam from the steam engines '3 of the locomotive passes through the steam pipe '4 intothe heater 1. The heater 1 is of the open feed water heater typein which the exhauststeam from the engine 8-passes into the heating or condens ing chamber into which the water to be heated is pumped by an approved type of pump through the pipe 6. In certain types of these heaters, and at certaintimes, such as forexamplewhen the engine 3 is not Working, the water level may rise'in' the heater, resulting in some of the water flowing.

into the 'steam pipe 4 and to prevent such action a valve of anyapproved construction, but which isshown inithe drawings as a butterfly valve is mounted in the steam pipe I 4' in close proximity to the heater 1. -The butterflyvalve 10 is connected by a series of links 11 with a piston rod 12 which is mounted in acylinder 13. A relatively large pis- 7 ton 14 is mounted upon one end ofthe piston rod 12 and a relatively small piston 15 is mounted upon the other end .ofthe'piston rod; The pipe 4 is provided'with an open ing16 between the'valve-lO and -thefieed water heater 1 and this opening16 opens out into the cylinder 13 and from the'cylin- 'der 13 into a drain pipe 17. V

A pipe 18 communicates with the end'of the cylinder 13 outwardly of the piston 14 and in Figure 1 of-the drawings this pipe'is shown as going to the cab 8 of the'locomotive 2 and to the control 9 which controls the flow of steam to the engine 3 so'that when the control 9'is openedto allow steam to flow to the engine 3 of the locomotive Q'steam will also flow throughthe pipe 18 and into the cylinder 13,"forcingthe piston 14 against the shoulders 18 and closing the port 19 V which establishes communication between the opening 16 and the drain '17. The movement of the piston- 14 from againstthe stop shoulders 20' at the outer end-st the cylinder 13, against the shoulders 18 will, through the medium of the links 11 open the valve 10 and allow the. exhaust steam from the engine 3 to flow through the pipe 4 into the heater 1.

The opposite or small end 22 of the cylinder 13 has a pipe 23 communicating therewith which may receivefluid under boiler pressure or under any other suitable pressure sufficient to move the pistons 15 and 14 when the supply of steam through the pipe 18 is cut oil". Upon movement of the pistons 15 and 14 by the fluid entering the reduced end 22 of the cylinder 13, through the pipe 23, the valve 10 will'be closed and the pistonv 14 will be moved away from the shoulders 18 and the port 19 thus opening up the passageway from the steam pipe' lthrough the opening 16, cylinder 13, port 19 and drain 17 to permit any water which might flow into the pipe 4 from the heater 1 to drain therefrom.

In the drawings the pistons 14 and 15 are shown of different diameters so as to proportion their active areas in proper relation to the pressures which act upon the respective pistons, to insure efiicient operation of the device, however this is a matter of mechanical design and does not form a part of the present invention, the sizes of the pistons being regu' lated wholly by the relationship between the pressures acting thereon. ,Also the invention is shown as applied to a locomotive feed water heater but it is to'be understood that it is equally applicable for use with other types of feed water heaters whereinsteam is supplied from asuitable source to the feed water heater and the valve 10 and draining of the pipe 4 may be controlled by the flow of steam to the source from which steam flows to the heater.

It will be understood that the invention is not tobe limited to the specific construction or arrangement of parts shown but that these may be modified widely within the invention defined by the claims. I What isclaimed is 1. The combination with a feed water heater having a steam pipe for guiding steam to the heater, of means controlled by the flow of steam to the source from which steam enters said pipe for preventing backward flow of water through the pipe and opening the pipe on the heater side of the valve to permit draining of water therefrom.

2. The combination with a feed water heater having a steam pipe for guiding steam to the heater, of a valve is said pipe, a drain communicatin with said pipe on the heater side of the va ve, and means controlled b the flow of steam to the source from which steam enters said pipe for operating said valve and controlling said drain;

3. The combination with a feed water heater having a steam pipe for guiding steam to the heater, of a valve in said pipe, a cylinder having communication with the pipe, a piston in said cylinder, a drain communieating with the cylinder and the pipe on the heater side of the valve, said piston operable for operating said valve and for opening and closing said drain.

4. The combination with a feed water heater, a steam engine and a pipe for conducting exhaust steam from the engine to the heater, of a valve in said pipe, and means operated by flow of steam to the engine to open said valve and operated upon the cutting off of steam flow to the engine to close the valve, a drain communicating with said pipe on the heater side of the valve, said means acting to close said drain when said valve is open and open the drain when the valve is closed.

5. The combination with a feed water heater, a steam engine and a pipe for conducting exhaust steam from the engine to the heater, of a valve in said pipe, a piston connected to said valve and adapted to be operated upon the flow of steam to said engine to open said valve and operated upon the cutting off of steam flow to the engine to close the valve, a drain for the part of the pipe between the heater and valve, said piston controlling communication between the drain and steam pipe whereby the drain will be cut off from the steam pipe when said valve is open and will be in communication with the steam pipe when said valve is closed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

PAUL DUGELAY. 

